
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The metallic smell of blood filled Xavier's lungs. His body trembled. For a moment, the only sound in the corridor was the frantic heart beats of Xavier. Xavier tightened his grip around the handle of his pickaxe. Five hunters stood ahead. All staring at the darkness ahead. This was supposed to be an E-Rank dungeon. A routine clearing operation. At least, that was what the guild's report had said. Xavier had learned a long time ago not to trust guild reports. But what could he do. He needed the money. Into the darkness... A pair of blood red eyes pierced out. " Run!!!" Few minutes earlier. Xavier had just entered an E-Rank Dungeon along with some hunters. He had just finished packing up the materials from a hunt. 'Everything is going smoothly, if this goes on we should be done in twenty minutes.' Xavier calculated. " Move! " The voice came from behind him. Xavier stepped aside, yet she was still nudged. A hunter in a reinforced leather coat pushed past him. "Don't block the way, porter." "Sorry." Xavier moved closer to the wall. His head down. The hunter didn't even acknowledge him. Xavier was used to that. He was a porter. Unawakened. The lowest person in almost every dungeon party. His job was simple. Carry the bags. Carry the supplies. Carry the wounded. He had done it for over three years. Three years of entering dungeons while everyone else grew stronger around him. Three years of struggling. Three years of Hope. Three years of waiting for the day he would finally awaken. It never came. They continued onwards as Xavier had to listen to the mockery of hunters directed towards him. It wasn't new. 'Just six more dungeon raids, and I should be able to get the low rank awakening pill... Then, I could change my fate...' This was a pill taken by individuals to help them awaken. It drew out their latent power to force an awakening. But just getting one didn't mean you would awaken. It just increases your chances a little. Even the lowest grade was extremely expensive. Xavier was broke. But he had been saving for it. For three years. '...Maybe then, I could live a normal life...' His thoughts were still going when a monster's roar suddenly shook the corridor. ROOOAAAR! Everyone froze. The hunter in front raised his hand. "Formation!" Weapons came out instantly. Xavier dropped the supply bag from his shoulders. His heart hammered. That roar hadn't sounded like anything from a Grade E dungeon. The corridor trembled again. Then... BOOM! Something slammed through the side wall. Dust. WHOOM! A body flies through the dust. One of the hunters. He hit the ground hard enough to break his neck. Silence. Nobody moved. Xavier stared at the bleeding corpse. He was dead on impact. Then at the hole in the wall. Two enormous blood red eyes appeared inside the darkness. " Wh...wha...what? A demonic beast? That shouldn't be in a dungeon." Xavier panicked. " I...it's a Demonic Beast! " One of the Hunters yell. "Run!!..." The party broke. Xavier didn't. Not because he was brave. Because the first person who tried to run past the creature was torn apart before he could take three steps. Blood splashed across Xavier's face, staining his jet black hair. He stumbled backward. His pickaxe slipped from his hand. The creature emerged from the darkness. It was twice the height of a man, covered in black scales, dark mist and claws long enough to split a human in half. A demonic beast. Xavier's breathing stopped. His heart now in his throat as his Crimson eyes meets the beasts eyes. "Composure!" The lead hunter screams, calling his team to order. ' Yes with Leader Choi here, maybe we could survive.' Xavier thinks. The hunters attacked. Steel flashed. Abilities erupted. For several seconds, the corridor became chaos. Xavier notices something wrong. He came in with seven hunters. Two were dead. Five should be left. But only four were here. "Where's the last hunter? " He looks around. " Now! " As if to answer his question the voice of the last hunter resounds from far back across the corridor. Then... A portal opens just behind the hunters. Having being waiting for this, they all leap into the portal. Xavier watched this happen unable to react in time. " Wh...what's going on?" Just as the last hunter goes through the portal. He says with a smile... " Hold it back a while porter." Xavier watched them disappear. "Wait!" His voice echoed uselessly. He tried to reach the portal. WHIM! The Portal closes. Xavier falls. Nobody stopped. Nobody came back. Of course they didn't. He was unawakened. He was expendable. He didn't have the time to process what had just happened. Xavier looked at the monster. The monster looked at him. He rose to his feet His legs trembled. He turned and ran. His lungs burned. His boots slammed against the stone floor. Behind him came the sound of claws scraping against the floor. Faster. Closer. Faster! Xavier pushed himself harder. One turn after another, but the beast remained on his tail. Almost as if it were toying with him, keeping a fair distance. The corridor suddenly ended. A dead end. He stopped so violently that he nearly fell. His eyes widened confused. "No, there was no wall here." Indeed there wasn't. Looking around the wall he finally understood. They hadn't just escaped. They had sealed him in. Why? To buy themselves even a little bit more time. The creature stepped into the corridor. Slowly. Almost casually. Xavier backed against the wall. His hand searched desperately for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. His fingers closed around a pocket knife. He lifted it. His hands trembling. ' Why is this happening to me?' ' What did I ever do wrong?' The creature chuckled. A low, guttural sound. Xavier's arms shook. He knew. There was no way he could win. Still... He tightened his grip. 'I need to survive...' 'I need to survive...' 'I can't die yet...not yet...' ' I still have things I need to do.' His chest rose and fell. The creature lunged. Xavier stabbed. He pierced. The creature barely moved. It's claw pierced Xavier's abdomen. As if mocking his efforts. Xavier's eyes widened. Blood filled his mouth. He never let go of the knife. The creature threw him against the wall. His body hit the stone floor. Once. Twice. Then he collapsed. Everything became blurry. His fingers twitched against the cold floor. He could hear the creature approaching. Slow footsteps. One after another. Xavier tried to move. Nothing. His vision darkened. 'So this is it…' He thought about the futile life he had lived so far. The little farm. The old wooden house. The two people who had raised him. He didn't want to die. Not yet. He still had things he wanted to do. He still wanted to see the world outside this little town. He hadn't yet brought justice for his adopted parents. He still wanted to prove that there was nothing wrong with him. That his eyes didn't make him a monster. That he wasn't what they called him. His vision faded. The creature raised it's claw. And then... Everything stopped. The monster. The falling blood. The tear drop on Xavier eyes. Even the dust floating through the air. Silence. Absolute silence. A faint golden light appeared before Xavier's dying eyes. Then a voice spoke inside his head. Not loud. Not cold. Almost... familiar. [Host Located.] Xavier's fading eyes widened a bit. Another line appeared. [Xavier Reed Found...] [Identity Confirmed.] A pause. Longer than it should have been. Then... [Synchronization beginning…] [Welcome back, Xavier Reed.] Xavier's pupils contracted. "Wel...come back?" [I Have Finally Found You.]Latest Chapter
Next Issue
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ [Seventeen Meters]Xavier raised his hand.The archers drew their bows.The fire mages began gathering mana, flames flickering around their hands.[Sixteen meters.]Xavier's palm tightened.[Fifteen meters.]"NOW!"The earth mage slammed his hand against the ground.A deep rumble shook the forest.The ground lurched.Then earth erupted from the soil, rising into a rough circular wall in a fifteen meter radius from the hunters.Roots snapped, stones shifted, and clumps of dirt flew into the air.The wall rose to roughly five and a half feet.Not particularly tall.But enough to obstruct movement.Something shrieked from the bushes.Xavier's eyes widened.They were there."FIRE!"The two mages thrust their hands forward.Flames roared across the enclosed ground, firing straight towards the wall.The sudden heat swept through the vegetation, illuminating the forest in flashes of orange.The Kobolds erupted into motion.Small, fur covered figures leaped from the bushes, shrie
Fifteen Meters.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The laughter continued.The hunters remained in formation, weapons raised as they remained extremely vigilant.The lead hunter's grip tightened around his sword.Something was wrong.Kobolds were known to hunt in groups. They were cunning creatures, and their habit of mocking their prey with laughter was well documented.But this?Staying hidden while systematically surrounding their enemies?That was different.He had encountered Kobolds before. They usually relied on their numbers, rushing their targets and overwhelming them through sheer aggression. They could be surprisingly coordinated to a degree, but this level of patience was unusual.There was only one explanation he could think of.'An Alpha Kobold.'His expression darkened.But this is supposed to be a D-rank dungeon.Alpha Kobolds only appeared in mutated D-rank dungeons or C-Rank dungeons. Their presence usually meant the group was dealing with something far more dangerous.He glanced toward th
Surrounded
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The moment Xavier stepped into the dungeon, he was greeted by the green scenery.The smell of rain and plants hit him hard.Trees stretched high above them, their branches spreading across the sky. Thick bushes covered the ground, while vines hung from the trees.The air was cool and damp.Xavier took a deep breath.His chest was still rising heavily from the anxiety he'd felt before entering, but he forced himself to calm down.They had barely taken a few steps when the hunters began spreading out.Weapons were drawn.Some held swords.Others carried spears, bows, or weapons Xavier couldn't identify.Everyone was watching their surroundings.Xavier followed their example.One thing he had learned from his previous dungeon experiences was simple.Never let your guard down.A dungeon wasn't like the outside world.Danger could come from anywhere.Above.Behind.Even beneath your feet.He glanced at the trees.Then the bushes.Nothing.At least, nothing he could see.‘System
A Spike.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~After a brief drive, the faint blue glow of the dungeon portal came into view.It stood a short distance from an abandoned Church.Its rounded surface shimmering like a thin layer of water suspended in the air.Unlike Gates, which looked more like jagged cracks tearing through space, dungeon entrances were usually stable and smooth.This one was no different.The hunters slowed as they approached.Once they reached the entrance, the atmosphere changed.The casual conversations stopped.Everyone became more focused.The hunter's dropped while the large vehicles were moved a short distance away from the portal.The hunters began unloading their equipment. Tents were set up, supplies were arranged, and the group gathered together to discuss their strategy.Xavier stood slightly away from them, watching.He had entered dungeons before.But never anything like this.The difference wasn't just the rank.It was the number of people.The preparation.The equipment.Everything abou
D-Rank Expedition.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Xavier stared at the Holy Maiden.“Five minutes?”“Yes. Five minutes.”It was so casually said that Xavier wasn't sure if she was joking.“Do you even have your gear ready?”“My gear?” Xavier asked.“Your hunting equipment.”Xavier paused.Then he chuckled a bit.“I don't really have any.” He said.The Holy Maiden blinked.“You don't?”Xavier shook his head.“The only things I have are a pickaxe and a few knives.”For a moment, she simply stared at him confused.Then she covered her mouth.“Oh.” She suddenly remembered.She looked slightly embarrassed.“Sorry. I forgot you were working as a porter not long ago.”“Yhh, It's fine.” Xavier replied.The Holy Maiden turned.“Alexandria.”“Yes, Holy Maiden?”“Get him some equipment.”Alexandria stepped forward.“What weapon would you prefer?”Xavier thought about it.“Any.” He answered.“Any?”“I've never really had a chance to develop a preference.” He explained.Alexandria looked at the Holy Maiden.The Holy Maiden considered hi
Five Minutes
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The sound of the large door opening caught Xaviers attention.He looked up.The Holy Maiden was walking toward him with several people behind her.Most of them were guards, but one man immediately stood out.He looked to be in his fifties, with neatly combed grey-black hair and a well-tailored black suit. His expression was calm, almost pleasant, but there was something commanding in the way he carried himself. The kind of presence that made people instinctively give him room.The Holy Maiden stopped when she noticed Xavier."Oh, Xavier."Xavier gave them both a small nod."Holy Maiden."She tilted her head."What brings you here?"Xavier hesitated."I came with a reply to your offer." The Holy Maiden's expression changed slightly.She then turned to the man beside her."I'm sorry, but I have something important to attend to right now. We'll have to continue this another time."The man's smile barely changed.But his eyes narrowed slightly."Oh? But we were just getting
You may also like

The Ultimate Man
M. K. Diana73.7K views
My Sniper System
kuhaku_sora25.8K views
My Money Spendrift System
R. AUSTINNITE47.7K views
The Omnipotent God's Heir
WestReversed31.1K views
Every Death Makes Me Deadlier
Emmanuel Ashaolu181 views
The Adaptation Protocol
Koya192 views
Adaptive Evolution: The Optimal Path
Lysandra349 views
The City That Resets Every Midnight
orion96 views